Lulu's Mysterious Mission

by Judith Viorst, Kevin Cornell (Illustrator)

Overview

This irresistible illustrated chapter book starring Judith Viorst’s Lulu is full of hilarious hijinks, delightful twists, and a top-secret mission!

Eeny meeny miney mo,
That babysitter’s got to go.

Lulu has put her tantrum-throwing days behind her. That is, until her parents announce that they are going on vacation—WITHOUT LULU. Not only that, but they are leaving her with the formidable Ms. Sonia Sofia Solinsky, who says hello by bellowing, “The Eagle has landed,” and smiles at you with the kind of smile that an alligator might give you before eating you for dinner.

The second her parents are out of the house, Lulu tries out several elaborate schemes to bring them straight back. But just when she seems to finally be making some headway, her babysitter reveals an astonishing secret…one that has Lulu crossing her fingers that her parents will go on vacation all the time—without her!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442497481
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/08/2014
Series:	The Lulu Series
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Lexile:	1010L (what's this?)
File size:	28 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Judith Viorst is the author of the beloved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which has sold some four million copies; the Lulu books, including Lulu and the Brontosaurus; the New York Times bestseller Necessary Losses; four musicals; and poetry for children and young adults. Her most recent books of poetry include What Are You Glad About? What Are You Mad About? and Nearing Ninety.

Kevin Cornell’s secret spy headquarters are located in Philadelphia. He has successfully accomplished several thrilling missions, including illustrating Mustache! and Count The Monkeys by Mac Barnett, the Chicken Squad series by Doreen Cronin, and the Lulu series by Judith Viorst. Leave a coded message for him at KevSkinRug.com.

Read an Excerpt

Lulu’s Mysterious Mission

Editorial Reviews

03/01/2014
Gr 2–4—Spoiled little Lulu is back in a third book to tackle a new challenge: a babysitter. Despite Lulu's objection that "babysitters sit babies, and I'm no baby," her parents head off on vacation, leaving her in the care of the intimidating Ms. Solinsky. The little girl does her devious best to get rid of Ms. Solinsky, even preying on her one weakness, a cat allergy, but the babysitter always seems to be one step ahead of Lulu. When she discovers her babysitter's spy training, an intrigued Lulu offers her best behavior in exchange for a little covert training of her own, culminating in an "MM" or "Mysterious Mission." Over-the-top action and the narrator's dry voice balance out a slightly strained plot. Kevin Cornell steps in as illustrator, replacing Lane Smith, who only did this book's cover. Lulu now looks a little more like a regular girl, with a rounder nose and sneakers, but in the wide variety of diabolical facial expressions she wears, readers will recognize the same troublemaker they have come to know and love. Lulu's fans will be happy to read her next (mis)adventure.—Marian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT

School Library Journal

"Lulu is the type of heroine who is the exact opposite of charming. She is exasperating, tiring, and thinks she is oh-so-clever. This third Lulu book has the heroine meeting her match in a babysitter who is anything but ordinary. . . . Viorst has always exercised a light, droll touch, and this latest will suit fans of her other humorous early chapter books. Cornell’s illustrations stretch and squish the characters to suit their high-strung antics, while also emphasizing the tall-tale flavor of the adventure—surely Lulu is a match for those legendary heroes if she can successfully transform into a cow (which she can!)."

April 2014 Booklist

"Farce, slapstick, tall tale; punctuated with authorial asides, leavened with scads of white space and the many energetic sweeps of Cornell's comic illustrations...this is a book to tickle younger listeners as well as emerging readers."

March/April 2013 Horn Book Magazine

"Spoiled little Lulu is back in a third book to tackle a new challenge: a babysitter. . . . Lulu’s fans will be happy to read her next (mis)adventure."

March 2014 School Library Journal

2014-02-05
Another wild adventure featuring the exasperating and inexplicably lovable Lulu (Lulu and the Brontosaurus, 2010; Lulu Walks the Dogs, 2012). As hard as it may be to believe, Lulu's doting parents have decided to take a vacation without their precious darling. What's worse, they have hired a professional babysitter to care for her while they are gone. It doesn't take long for Lulu to decide that Ms. Sonia Sofia Solinsky must go. Nothing if not determined, Lulu tries faking illness, running away, destroying her room and smuggling cats in to trigger the sitter's severe allergies. Nothing works, perhaps because Triple S is a former spy. Wait. A spy?? Maybe she can stay after all, though not to do something as dumb as babysit, but to train Lulu in the fine art of spycraft. Throughout the text, Viorst weaves in an authorial voice that speaks directly to readers, offering witty metafictional commentary sure to induce giggles. Black-and-white drawings depicting a spirited Lula in action and a good deal of white space keep the text from becoming overwhelming to readers new to chapter books. Great fun for Lulu fans old and new. (Fiction. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews